Ahoy matey! Shipwreckers is
an adventure game that
smoothly blends puzzle solving
with episodes of explosive
action. This game will NOT
appeal to everyone but a
certain group of gamers will
love it.
You are a pirate captain with
one ship in an adventure that
spans 4 levels in 5 different
regions for a total of 20
missions. You'll solve puzzles,
discover lost treasure and
battle pirate foes.
The puzzles involve finding map
bottles, treasure and
power-ups. Occasionally, you
will also pick up contraband
and smuggle it to a distant port.
In addition to your basic
cannon there are some far
fetched weapons such as
lightning bolts, flame throwers
and mines. You'll need all of
the above as you take on a
host of maggot infested enemy
pirates and some pretty wicked
bosses. There are even some
airborne enemies i.e. balloons,
airships and dragons.
The game is played from a third
person overhead perspective.
The game graphics and
animated videos are
cartoon-style. Time of day
(sunrise to night) and weather
effects (fog and rain) are nicely
done. Occasionally, scenery
gets in your way and blocks
key elements of play. There is a
button to change the camera
view which helps. You'll see
cannon balls coming towards
your ship from off screen. The
enemy can apparently see you
but you'll have to sail closer to
see the enemy. The area
around your ship that's on the
screen could have been
expanded.
The voices and sound effects
are average. The
seafaring/pirate style
soundtrack compliments the
game. After a few hours of play
the music begins to get on your
nerves.
The game can only be played
with the standard digital
controller. Moving your ship,
selecting weapons etc. with the
controller was very easy and
effortless.
Shipwreckers is a slow paced
game which involves using
some of your gray matter more
than your trigger finger. There
are however, episodes of
explosive action where good
reflexes are important to
survive.
There's are a lot of things to do
as you muck about the high
seas collecting map bottles,
opening gates, avoiding
disaster, conquering towns,
smuggling etc. etc. etc. The
game gets a little harder with
each new level. A nicely done
learning curve allows you to
gradually adjust to the more
difficult tasks that lie ahead.
An experienced adventure
gamer can probably finish the
game in less than a week. After
completing the game the replay
value is low. There's simply not
enough here to make you want
to go back for more.
Bottom Line: Shipwreckers is
not a bad game. It's the type of
game that appeals to a certain
group of gamers. If you've
never played an adventure
game before, Shipwreckers is a
good place to start. It's also a
fun game which younger
players will probably enjoy.
And - if you're looking for a
multiplayer adventure game,
Shipwreckers will fill that need.
If you are not any of the above,
you probably will not like this
game. Definitely rent before
buying.
Graphics: 7.5
Sound: 7
Learning Curve: Low
Difficulty: Moderate
Control: 8
Manual: Good
Replay Value: Low
FINAL SCORE: 7.3
